*Taken from the Agricultural Research Information System (ARIS) database.

EDUCATION

B.S. Biology

1996

University of California, Santa Cruz, CA

Ph. D. Evolutionary & Population Biology

2002

Washington University in St. Louis & Missouri Botanical Garden, MO

CURRENT RESEARCH

The focus of my research is the systematics and population structure of invasive plants, particularly whitetop or hoarycress (Lepidium draba, formerly Cardaria draba) and saltcedar (Tamarix spp.) Both of these invasives are present in Montana and throughout the western U.S. Saltcedar typically dominates riparian areas and whitetop is considered a pest plant in fields, rangelands and natural areas. The specific goals of this research are to find out which genotypes of these exotic plants are invading, where the genotypes originated from in Eurasia, which native and exotic species they are most closely related to, and where the invasive genotypes are distributed in the U.S. This information will be used to insure that all of the genetic diversity of these invasions will be present in tests of current and proposed biological control agents, and that all native plants closely related to the invasion will be included in host-specificity tests.

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

Prior to joining the USDA-Agricultural Research Service in 2002, my dissertation at Washington University in St. Louis focused on the phylogeography of invasive Tamarix. I have done revision work on South American Smilax, and molecular systematic work in the families Campanulaceae and Tamaricaceae.

Gaskin, J.F., and Wilson, L.M. 2007. Phylogenetic relationships among native and naturalized hieracium (asteraceae) in Canada and the United States based on plastid DNA sequences. Systematic Botany. 32(2):478-485. (PDF; 708 KB)